New five-gene test for lung cancer proves effective

Scientists at Taiwan University have developed a five-gene test that can help illuminate which lung cancer patients are likely to benefit from chemotherapy. Standard therapy calls for chemotherapy after surgery to remove a tumor, but some early-stage patients may not gain much benefit from chemo. Others have such aggressive cases that they're unlikely to benefit either.

The scientific team led by Hsuan-Yu Chen studied 125 patients and identified 16 genes that figured into their risk profile. They then narrowed that down to five genes that could be used to gain a clear picture of a person's risks. Specialists in the field say it's time to use the same process employed in breast cancer to identify which patients should be provided chemotherapy.

- check out the AP report for more information

ALSO: Researchers at Duke have developed a method to load fat particles with chemotherapy drugs, delivering targeted quantities of the therapy. Report 

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